The City of Ember
''Which is better? Book or Movie? Background Information who cares The City of Ember is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Jeanne DuPrau that was published in 2003. Similar to Suzanne Martel's The City Under Ground published in 1963, the story is about Ember, an underground city that is slowly running out of power and supplies due to its aging infrastructure. The young protagonist, Lina Mayfleet, and her friend, Doon Harrow, manage to decode a message and follow clues left behind by the original builders of the City of Ember that would lead them to safety in the outside world. It is the first "Book of Ember" in the eponymous series, which also includes The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, and the final installment The Diamond of Darkhold. In 2008, the book was adapted into a film by Walden Media and Playtone. A graphic novel adaptation by comic book artist Niklas Asker was released s," designed an underground city with supplies for its inhabitants to survive for 220 years. During that time, the Earth would be dangerous, because of a war and later uninhabitable for an unspecified reason, although the book's prequel, ''The Prophet Of Yonwood, points at that reason being a devastating nuclear war. After completion of the city, the Builders give the first mayor of the city a locked box that was to be passed down from one mayor to the next. Unknown to the mayors who were to pass it down the line, the box was set to open after 220 years and provide instructions to the city's inhabitants on how to return to the surface. For several generations, the box is faithfully passed down from one mayor to the next until the seventh mayor who, hoping that the box might contain a cure for the deadly cough that was infecting many citizens of the city at the time, takes the box home and tries to break it open. He fails, and dies before he is able to return the box to its rightful place, or inform anyone else of its importance. The story moves forward to the year 241 where the town is running out of supplies and the massive generator that provides the light and power for the city is on its last legs. At a graduation ceremony where young people are assigned their jobs, Lina Mayfleet is unfortunately assigned the job of “Pipeworks Laborer," while Doon Harrow has to be a “Messenger.” Both are unhappy with their assignments and decide to switch jobs. At home, Lina's grandmother finds an old piece of paper she salvaged from inside a box. Unknown to her, it is the box that was passed from mayor to mayor. Currently, many people referred to as the "Believers" believe that the Builders would come back and guide the citizens of Ember out of the city. Lina attempts to decipher the letter, but her little sister, Poppy, has chewed on it and the letter has holes and is ripped. Finally, she asks Doon and a few other people to help her reconstruct the letter. After much trial and error she and Doon realize that it is instructions from the Builders on how to exit the city of Ember. Soon, they discover boats in a secret room by the great river that powers the entire community. The boats were meant to be used by the community to escape down the river. They go on a wild boat ride and when the boat finally stops, they find an old journal explaining the history of Ember. The Builders decided to protect 100 adults and 100 children to ensure that the human race would survive. After they find the journal they are faced with a very steep climb that takes hours, but when they get to the top they discover the outside world, and through a series of events they find a cave leading to a cliff that shows the underground city miles below. In a scene reminiscent of Plato's Allegory of the Cave, they are shocked when they see the dim, glimmering lights of the city beneath them: they never knew they were living underground. They throw a rock with instructions tied to it down to the city in hope that the people of Ember will escape. The novel ends with Mrs. Murdo, Lina's guardian, finding the note. Then Mrs.Murdo will tell everbody in the city of ember Movie Summary In the midst of a nuclear war, the Builders of the underground "City of Ember" place secret instructions to future generations in a small box, timed to open in 200 years. The box is entrusted to the mayor of the underground complex. Each mayor, in turn, passes the box on to his or her successor. When the box has 47 more years left on the time-lock, the mayor holding the box dies suddenly. The significance of the box had not been explained to anyone else, and the mayor's family places it in a junk-filled closet. When 200 years have passed, the time-lock clicks the box open, but the event goes unnoticed. For generations, the people of Ember have lived in a huge underground complex built as a refuge for humanity while the nuclear radiation dissipates. It is built into a vast cavern 4 kilometers below ground and is filled with regular-sized buildings and houses. Far above the tops of the buildings are banks of floodlights that light the city during the day and provide light for the greenhouses. The lights are powered by a massive generator. Now it is year 241 and Ember threatens to fall into darkness as the generator begins to fail. Blackouts are occurring with increasing frequency and last longer each time. The reserves of canned goods and light bulbs are becoming depleted. Much of the knowledge about how to use and repair the systems necessary for the city's survival has also slowly been lost over succeeding generations. At a rite of passage for all graduating students called Assignment Day, the mayor (Bill Murray) stands before the students as they choose, by lottery, what their occupations will be. Lina (Saoirse Ronan), a teenage girl who dreams of becoming a messenger, is assigned to be a "Pipeworks Laborer" and Doon (Harry Treadaway) is assigned "Messenger." The two swap occupations despite the fact that it is prohibited. Lina goes home to find her dying grandmother searching for something in the closet, which turns out to be the lost metal box. Unable to piece the torn papers inside the box together, Lina nevertheless resolves to decipher their meaning and enlists Doon's help. As blackouts become more frequent, Lina and Doon realize that the information inside the box could lead to the salvation of Ember. Racing against time, the two teens follow the clues and eventually come into conflict with the mayor and other corrupt politicians. During their flight, it turns out that their parents had once joined in an attempt to make their way beyond Ember, an attempt which ended when Lina's father drowned after their tunneler hit a pressurized underground river. The pair realizes the document is a set of instructions on how to escape the city, and they search for the hidden exit. They also discover that the mayor has been hoarding canned food in a secret vault in the utilities area. When they report the theft, they are arrested and the mayor forces Lina to hand over the box. Since she refuses, he orderes his henchmen to snatch it from her, but fails and Lina runs. Now fugitives from the mayor's police, the pair puts their escape plan into action. They fetch Poppy, Lina's 4 year old sister, and follow the instructions, which leads them to the surface where they see and feel the natural air and sky for the first time. At first, they despair, because it is dark and they assume that they have not escaped, but they do not realize it is night time. In the morning, as the sun rises, they gaze in amazement at the glowing sun and blue sky. They then tie a message of their discovery to a rock and drop it back down to the city, where it is found by Loris 'Barrow' Harrow. Which is better: the book or the movie? Book Movie